On Aug. 9, 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant was shot and killed while riding his bicycle outside his home in Wilson, North Carolina. Within days, the tragedy became national news, and people across the nation rallied to show support to the Hinnant family by way of messages, prayer vigils and charity events. When a local Hope Mills woman heard the news, she organized a local charity ride to raise funds for the Hinnant family. The Benefit Ride for Cannon Hinnant is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, starting at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson on Sycamore Dairy Road in Fayetteville.

“I am a mother, and it broke my heart,” said Angela Sajko. “I wanted to do something to show support.”

A motorcycle enthusiast herself, Sajko has been riding for 22 years.

“In the biker community, we do a lot of benefit rides,” she said.

The ride is scheduled to end at the Nash County Community College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Sajko said the original end-point was advertised as the Wilson Fair Grounds, then changed to Middlesex Elementary School, but law enforcement officials have changed it again to accommodate the number of riders expected. She has received interest from several out-of-state motorcycle clubs, including riders from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Texas.

Any future updates to the route and/or destination will be posted on the Facebook page, she said.

The route leaves Harley-Davidson and travels down Morganton Road to Glensford Drive then to Hope Mills Road. The ride will hit I-95 and travel to the end point, she said.

The benefit ride will have a law enforcement escort the entire route to include Fayetteville Police Department in town, Highway Patrol while on I-95 and local police off the exit.

Members of the Hinnant family will greet riders in Wilson, Sajko said. “We will be able to meet his mom and grandparents,” she said, “but there are no official remarks or guest speakers scheduled.

“This is about showing support to the family, to let them know that other parents and grandparents are grieving with them.”

The Sept. 5 Benefit Ride for Cannon Hinnant will begin at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson on Sycamore Dairy Road in Fayetteville and end at Nash County Community College in Rocky Mount.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and kickstands are up at 11 a.m. “Registration costs $20 for anything that is street legal,” Sajko said, noting that motorcycles will lead the way for cars and trucks. All proceeds from the $20 registration fee will be donated to the Hinnant family. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/fortbraggharley.